Light in the Darkness
by GoldFighter88
Summary: Riku and Sora are struggling in their relationship. Sora is putting in all the effort, while Riku seems to just be enjoying the ride. Can the two of them make it work, or will it fall apart?
1. Rain Check

Light in the Darkness

**Chapter 1: Rain Check**

Green luminescent numbers rolled over to 8:00 AM and the clock atop Sora's nightstand began beeping obnoxiously. Sora squeezed his eyes shut and let out a muffled moan, waiting a few moments before rolling over and shutting off the racket. He did so with the mastery that comes from habit, finger landing just on the right spot and without the opening of an eye. Sora rolled back over and reached out in the other direction. Nothing but blankets. He searched a little higher. Empty pillow. Sora half-opened one eye, but saw no sign of his silver-haired boyfriend.

"Riku?" he called.

There was no reply. Sora groaned and lazily stepped out of bed, stretching his arms out and yawned as his feet found their way into slippers with mouse ears at the toes. Sora shuffled down the hall and into the kitchen, where he hoped to find Riku smiling over a plate of pancakes with chocolate syrup and scrambled eggs, Sora's favorite. Instead, there was a note on the counter.

_Took five bucks and went to the store for cigarettes. See you after work. _

–_Riku_

Work, of course, referred to Sora's job at a grocery store. Riku got fired from a restaurant a couple months back for missing too many shifts, and hadn't made any effort to find another job since.

"Who wants to smoke before eight in the morning," Sora asked the empty house. "And why is a trip to the gas station going to take so long that he won't see me before I leave?" Sora poured himself a glass of orange juice and took a few sips, then headed to the bathroom to brush his teeth and shower. He was dressed and out the door at 8:42.

The brunette parked his car and sent his boyfriend a text on his way inside.

_Good morning, babe. Sorry I missed you. Hope you slept well._

Sora put his phone back in his pocket, let out a sigh, and clocked in. He always hated Tuesdays. They seemed to creep by and 5:00 was as far away as that one treasure chest outside Merlin's house.

Several hours passed and still he had received no reply from Riku. He went to the restroom so that he could send another text without being seen.

_Let's go out for dinner tonight. Start thinking about where you'd like to go. I can't wait to see you!_

Sora headed back to the front of the store and was stopped by a customer on aisle three, fuming over why there were no Paopu fruits in the produce section.

"Sorry, ma'am. We're sold out. But we get a truck tomorrow and we hope to have some then."

"But the sale ends today!" The woman's nostrils flared.

"Yes, ma'am. Would you like a rain check so that you can get it for the sale price?" Sora offered professionally.

"I'd _like_ a Paopu fruit. You people are always advertising things you don't have! You have any idea how frustrating that is?"

At this point it took every last bit of restraint Sora had to keep him from telling the woman that he bought the last Paopu the night before, and that even a Paopu wouldn't be able to help such an unpleasant and standoffish woman find a companion.

"Again, I apologize. We did have them in, but I'm afraid other shoppers who came prior to the last day of the sale bought all we had. The first to finish gets to name the raft, as they say. As I said before, I'll be happy to write a rain check for you and, if you leave your phone number, I'll even call you when we get some in." Sora faked the most sincere smile he could muster without being genuine. It looked just as silly as his natural smile.

The woman snatched her purse from her buggy, tossed it over her shoulder, and announced that she was going to "the competition." Sora rolled his eyes as she strutted down the aisle toward the parking lot with the combined grace of Donald's waddle and Goofy's stomp.

Many more customers bothered Sora throughout the day, asking where to find ethers and camping sets. By the end of his shift he felt like he needed to consume five hi-potions. He clocked out and untied his apron on the way to his car, checking his phone as he walked. No new messages.

Sora pulled up into the driveway and parked the car. Riku was sitting outside smoking. Sora plopped down beside his boyfriend and leaned against him. He smelled of bubblegum and cigarette smoke.

"Long day," the silver asked.

Sora silently nodded. "This one lady gave me the hardest time because we ran out of Paopu. I almost came home to get ours and let her have it."

Riku took a long puff of his cigarette. "I'm glad you didn't."

"Of course I wouldn't do that. I have special plans for it." Sora lifted his head and kissed Riku on the cheek.

The older continued looking straight ahead across the street, at nothing in particular. "It was delicious."

"Ha ha," said Sora dryly. "Very funny. So, where are we going to eat?"

"I'm not kidding. It was very juicy. I'm not hungry any more." Another drag from the cigarette.

Sora looked down and sat a minute in silence, then looked at Riku. "You ate the whole Paopu? By yourself?"

"It was small," Riku replied nonchalantly.

"But…you know you're supposed to share it. Everyone knows that."

"You weren't here."

Sora couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was Riku playing some sort of game? If it was, he didn't have very good timing.

"Babe? Do you know what today is?"

Riku replied automatically. "It's Tuesday, duh."

"Right. But what's so special about _this_ Tuesday? January 27."

Nothing came from Riku's mouth but a trail of smoke.

Sora stood up and started to look desperate. "You really don't know?"

Riku smirked as though Sora were the one playing a game. "I know it's not your birthday. That's some time in April."

Sora couldn't take any more. A tear fell from his left eye as he looked directly into Riku's sea green ones. "It's our anniversary. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"It does." Riku acted as though he knew all along. "I just don't feel well today and would prefer to stay at home tonight. Can we celebrate some other time?"

"We don't have to go anywhere. I'm just as happy with a romantic evening at home." Sora tried to smile. "Don't you see? It doesn't matter where I am, as long as I'm with you."

The red tip of Riku's cigarette started to die down. "Then what's the problem?"

"The _problem_ is that it's just another day to you. I wake up and you're not there, I don't hear from you all day long, you act like there's nothing special about it, _and_ you eat the Paopu all by yourself. You don't see anything wrong with that?" Now tears fell from both of Sora's eyes. He couldn't stand to look at Riku any longer.

"Sora…"

"I work full-time with no breaks, making minimum wage, while you just sit at home all day in your pajamas, smoking and eating all the food. I've put up with this for two months now, but you've been emotionally absent longer than that. All that I've asked is that you love me, but you can't even do that."

Sora lifted a sleeve to wipe his eyes and then went inside. He ran down the hallway, shut the door to the bedroom, and jumped onto his bed. He buried his face into Riku's pillow and sobbed quietly. "What am I doing wrong? Why doesn't he love me?"


	2. In the Dark

Light in the Darkness

**Chapter 2: In the Dark**

Sora retreated under his comforter and sobbed quietly into his pillow. He didn't want Riku to hear how pathetic he was being. Sora couldn't believe it himself. He has the physical strength to fight off thousands of Heartless with only the help of a duck and a semi-retarded dog. If only he had that kind of emotional strength.

Sora fondly remembered his first time alone with Riku.

[Flashback]

They were just kids playing hide-and-seek with Kairi, and she was "it." They both tried to hide behind the waterfall, and neither wanted to change their hiding spot. Riku claimed that he thought of it first, but Sora crossed his arms and refused to budge. The two boys began pushing each other and Riku overpowered Sora, sending him rolling backwards clumsily. He crashed into a bush, but it did not make him stop. He went right through it and into a small hole in the rock wall that had been concealed by the shrubbery. Riku chased after him to make sure his friend was okay. They couldn't believe what they had discovered. They were standing inside a dark and roomy cave. Just enough light entered through the crude entrance to reveal some moss-covered rocks and a patch of mushrooms.

"This is incredible!" the silver-haired exclaimed. "We found a new part of the islands no one knows about! We've got to go exploring."

"But, Kairi's looking for us. Remember the game?"

"Forget the game. Last time I was 'it' she ran inside and locked herself in her room," Riku recalled bluntly.

"True…" The younger still hesitated. "It's kinda scary, though."

"Don't be scared. You're with me. Let's go!" Riku grabbed Sora's hand and led him deeper into the cave.

"We shouldn't be here. What if there's a bear living in here?" 

"There's no bear here. They don't like the tropical climate," Riku said matter-of-factly, as though he were a zoologist.

"You can't know that," Sora contested. "You've heard of polar bears. They live in the artic with all that ice and it doesn't bother them one bit!"

"Look. If there is anything in here, I'll protect you."

[End flashback]

Sora smiled as he remembered how safe he felt with Riku. Even though they were just kids in a dark and unfamiliar territory, Sora felt a strange sense of security. He also remembered how angry Kairi was when they finally came out two hours later. He figured she would have given up looking for them and gone back to her room to play with her dolls, but instead they found her standing at the shoreline. She was staring into the endless ocean, cupping her hands around her mouth and calling their names at the top of her lungs. She would then place one hand above her eyes to shield them from the sun and look into the distance, before calling out once more. Sora and Riku laughed, wondering how long she had been going on like that. She finally turned around and saw them, and she was _not _happy. She slapped them both and gave them a thorough scolding, but it was worth it for the two boys. Kairi never pestered them to play hide-and-seek again.

Sora then recalled how he spent the next year playing with Riku in their newly found secret place. They chose not to tell Wakka, Tidus, or Selphie about it. But, above all, they promised each other not to tell Kairi. They would hang out there on a regular basis. Sometimes at lunch they'd have picnics there; some nights they'd go there and tell each other ghost stories. Little by little they furnished it with things—a crude bed made of Paopu leaves here, a large stone for sitting on there—and by the end of the summer it became almost like a home. The two boys even shared their first kiss there. Things were so carefree then. That was before the storm.

That fateful night came without warning. Shadows covered the island and dark, mysterious creatures murdered their parents. The kids learned later that they were called Heartless and that they were controlled by an evil witch named Maleficent. Suddenly their world became complicated. They were separated. Countless worlds they never dreamed of opened up before them. They were given special powers, as well as the great responsibility of saving those worlds.

Things hadn't been the same since Riku returned from the darkness. Sora had asked him on several occasions what he saw on the other side of the door, but Riku always refused to talk about it. He'd then withdraw and become emotionally cold for several hours. Sora had learned not to mention it, but Riku had been like that a lot lately nonetheless. It was like he was a different person.

Riku would retreat alone into the secret place and stay there for hours at a time. The first time he disappeared, Sora knew where to look. The brunette asked what he was doing, but Riku lashed out at him and told him he didn't want to be bothered. Sora never again went looking for him when he went missing. He would just stay at home alone and find something to fill the time. He grew tired of watching TV, playing videogames, and surfing the web all the time. Every once in a while Wakka and Tidus would come over to see if the boys wanted to spar or play blitzball. They would ask where Riku was, and Sora would come up with some lie. He'd say he went to the store to get something for dinner, or that he was lying down because he didn't feel well, or something of that kind. Then he'd smile and assure them that everything was okay and that they'd all get together soon.

What Riku did in that cave was no mystery, because he would always take a pen and a notebook with him. He was writing something: perhaps a memoir of his time in the darkness, perhaps poetry, or maybe just a diary. Sora wasn't sure which it was; all he knew is that Riku was particularly sensitive about his writing and that Sora was to read it under no circumstance. He never betrayed Riku's trust, either, though it was hard at times. Like tonight. He wanted to know what was going on inside his boyfriend's mind. Why was he being so distant? Sora felt like he had done something wrong, even though he knew he hadn't. It was like he was being punished for some reason known only to Riku, who wouldn't tell him. They hadn't gone on a date together in three months, despite Sora's many suggestions. He'd come up with fun ideas: dinner and a movie; bowling; a picnic at the river; a double-date with Tidus and Selphie; ice cream in the park. They were all turned down. It hurt Sora and he often wondered why he tolerated such abuse from Riku, but he couldn't bring himself to leave him.

Sora rolled over and glanced at the clock. He had been lying in bed lost in thought for a little over an hour. Riku still had not come inside, so Sora decided to get up and go check on him.


End file.
